By Ola ‘Kiya, Reporting
Founder of I Reign Christian Ministry, Bishop Daniel Oluwafeyiropo, has been dragged before an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court for an alleged rape of two of his church members (names withheld).
Justice Ramon Oshodi granted the cleric in Kirikiri Correctional Centre the bail conditions of N20 million with two sureties in like sum.
He said one of the sureties must own a building property in Lagos State and the property must commensurate with the bail sum.
“The original document of the landed property must be submitted to the chief registrar of Lagos State.
“The sureties must reside within the court’s jurisdiction and must have three years’ tax payment to the Lagos State,” he said.
The judge also ordered the defendant to deposit his international passport with the Chief Registrar of the court and ordered an accelerated hearing of the case.
Earlier, the defence counsel, Mr Olukunle Oyewole, while moving his bail application dated April 10, urged the court to grant bail to the defendant on liberal terms.
Oyewole argued that the defendant had been on police administrative bail since May 20, 2023 and had made himself available to the police.
“My lord, the defendant was not informed on the day the matter came up for the first time before this court.
“The defendant is a well known religious leader and he has shown by his action that he will not jump bail.
“The offence for which he is charged with is a bailable offences and he has credible sureties that can stand for him,” he said.
The state lead prosecution counsel, Mr Babjide Boye, in his counter affidavit dated April 14, urged the court to refuse the bail application of the defendant, however, left it at the discretion of the court.
Boye, however, argued that the offences was a serious one and the likelihood of conviction might put the defendant on flight risk.
“There is also the possibility of the defendant interfering with the prosecution witnesses.
“He is a bishop of so many branches and if granted bail, he may use his position to influence the prosecution witnesses as he is regarded as a man of authority who has the possibility of committing the same crime.
“We urge the court to deny the defendant bail because he has failed to provide the court exceptional circumstances to grant him bail,” the prosecutor submitted.
Oluwafeyiropo, was earlier arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on rape.
He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
According to the prosecution, the defendant allegedly committed the offences sometime in June 2020 on Ikota Villa Estate, Lekki, Lagos, and it contravened Sections 260 (2) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.
The case was adjourned till May 9 for trial.
Meanwhile, ahead of his appearance in court on Monday, the cleric had claimed that the rape allegations against him were untrue and politically-motivated because of his predictions about the 2023 elections.
“If my words mean anything to you, I want to say to you, I have never raped anyone in my life,” he noted.
Stonix News recalled that the cleric had stated that Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), would be unlawfully declared the winner of the 2023 presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) – a prediction that have apparently seen the light of the day given the barrage of court cases trailing the declaration.
